Tag: Q-School

  • Charley Hull and Minjee Lee Headline LPGA Q School Field

    QSchool2014International Teen Stars Headline LPGA Q School Finals Field

    Teen golf sensations Charley Hull of England and Minjee Lee of Australia will be two of the major headliners at the final stage of LPGA Qualifying School in early December. They are among 155 players who will be trying to earn their LPGA cards for the 2015 season. As usual, the five-day event will be played on the Hills and Jones course at LPGA International Golf Club in Daytona Beach, Florida, the home of the LPGA’s headquarters. The top 20 finishers will earn full playing status on the tour for next year. The next 25 finishers will earn limited playing status.

    charley_hull_1Charley Hull is currently the 34th ranked woman player in the world according to the Rolex rankings. She turned pro at the beginning of 2013 at the age of 16. She has played full time for the last two seasons on the Ladies European Tour and has received several sponsor invitations to play in LPGA events. Last year she played on the winning European team in the Solheim Cup where she became the youngest player ever (at 17) to compete in Solheim Cup competition.

    minjee-leeMinjee Lee from Perth, Australia, is also 18 years old. She became the number one ranked woman amateur golfer in the world in February of this year after winning the Oates Victorian Open on the ALPG Tour. She had a strong finish this past summer in the U S Women’s Open and in July she played on the Australian team in the first edition of the LPGA’s International Crown team competition. She turned pro in September and earned her first check as a golfer at the Evian Championship where she finished tied for 15th place. She is currently the 79th ranked woman golfer in the world.

    Other notables to watch for at Q School…

    Stephanie Meadow from Northern Ireland: This University of Alabama grad turned pro in June, just before the U S Women’s Open. She finished 3rd and earned $271,000 in her first event as a pro.

    Ariya Jutanugarn from Thailand: She is the younger sister (19) of LPGA player Moriya Jutanugarn. She suffered a shoulder injury last year which required surgery and has limited her playing time.

    Several current LPGA players will be returning to Q School this year. They are players who did not finish the season in the top 100 on the tour’s money list and will be trying to maintain their full time playing status for next year by finishing in the top 20 at Q School.

    Among those players are Rebecca Lee-Bentham (Canada), Kathleen Ekey (U S), Chei Arimura (Japan), Vicky Hurst (U S), Lorie Kane (Canada), Meghan McChrystal (U S), Giulia Molinaro (Italy), Paola Moreno (Colombia), Ryann O’Toole (U S).

    Many players in the field will come from the Symetra Tour. They will be looking to make the big jump up to the LPGA after working for one or more seasons on the LPGA’s official developmental tour. The top 10 finishers on the Symetra Tour’s money list this season automatically earned their 2015 LPGA cards.

    The final stage of the 2014 LPGA Q School runs Wednesday, Dec. 3rd to Sunday, Dec. 7th.

    Dave Andrews, Author of Pops and SunshineAbout the Author: Dave Andrews is a Harvard-educated former television news reporter. Dave is an avid golfer who has become a fan of the LPGA and the Symetra Tour. He  is the author of Pops and Sunshine, a novel and screenplay about life on the women’s tour. The screenplay has been optioned by a production company in Hollywood. 

  • Handicapping The 2012 LPGA Qualifying School

    By Dave Andrews

    LPGA Veterans Kim and Diaz Headline Field

    I follow women’s golf more than most people but I don’t claim to be an expert. With that said here are my look at the upcoming final stage of LPGA Q School and my prediction for those most likely to earn playing status on the LPGA for 2013.

    The grueling five-day tournament begins this Wednesday on the Champions and Legends courses at LPGA International Golf Club, the home of the LPGA Tour’s headquarters. 125 players from around the world will be competing for 20 full status cards on the LPGA tour in 2013. Another 25 limited status cards will be given out to the players who finish 21st to 45th after the final scores are posted next Sunday.

    As usual, this year there is a mixture of players in the field… current LPGA players who didn’t play well enough this year to maintain their full status, players trying to make the move up to the LPGA from the Symetra Tour (the LPGA’s official developmental tour,) a fairly large number of players from the Ladies European Tour, a few from Asian tours, and a handful of amateurs.

    Probably the best-known players in the field are LPGA veterans Christina Kim and Laura Diaz. This year, Kim suffered through the worst season of her ten years on the LPGA and failed to finish in the top 100 on the LPGA money list. She has two LPGA victories to her credit, she has won more than four million dollars on the tour over the past decade, and she was on the U.S. Solheim Cup team just last year, but now she faces the prospect of having no LPGA playing status for next year unless she plays well at Q School. She suffered a series of physical ailments this year and she recently revealed that she has gone through serious bouts of depression, including thoughts of suicide.

    Laura Diaz (also a two-time winner on the tour and a four-time U.S. Solheim Cup team player) is also forced to return to Q School after 14 years on the LPGA in which she has won more than five million dollars in purse money. This season however, Diaz made less than 44 thousand dollars in 14 starts and also finished outside the top 100 on the tour’s money list.

    Other players in the Q School field who have several years of experience on the LPGA tour include Birdie Kim, Meaghan Francella, Nicole Jeray, Na On Min, Reilley Rankin, Eunjung Yi, Meredith Duncan, Maria Hernandez, and Nicole Hage. All tolled there are more than 40 players in this year’s field who have had or currently have some form of LPGA playing status.

    This year there is a strong contingent of players in the field from the Ladies European Tour (the LET). They include Caroline Masson of Germany who was the second-leading money winner on the LET this year. Melissa Reid of England, another LET leading money winner and a member of last year’s European Solheim Cup team, is returning to LPGA Q School for the second time. Other LET standouts in the Q School field include Anne-Lise Caudal of France, Ashleigh Simon of South Africa, Frances Bondad of Australia and Felicity Johnson of England.

    A large number of players in Q School this year come from the Symetra Tour. “The Road to the LPGA” as it is nicknamed is owned and operated by the LPGA. The ten leading money winners on the Symetra Tour this season earned automatic full playing status on the LPGA for 2013. The next ten players on the money list earned automatic entry into this week’s final stage of Q School. Others worked their way through the first and/or second stages of Q School which were held earlier this fall.

    There are a handful of players competing this week who come from the professional tours in Asia. Several of them are seen as strong competitors for the top final spots at Q School. Notables include Chie Arimura and Ayako Uehara of Japan. Moriya Jutanugarn of Thailand, who recently turned pro at the age of 17, was one of the top ranked amateurs in the world. She is viewed as a likely candidate to earn her LPGA card at Q School.

    A few players who graduated American colleges in 2012 and were standout players in school are also in the field. Some of them are former All Americans and have recently turned pro. Brooke Pancake from the University of Alabama and Austin Ernst from LSU lead that list.

    My personal favorite is LPGA rookie Hannah Yun. Hannah struggled this season in her first year on the LPGA. She finished 116th on the money list and is returning to Q School to maintain her full status for next year. I had the thrill of caddying for Hannah last year at Q School and I’ll be out there again this week, rooting her on as she and her full time caddie Martin Bozek get the job done.

    With that look at the makeup of the field, here are my picks (in alphabetical order) of the 40 players I think have the best chance of earning LPGA playing status at Q School this year…

     

    Lacey Agnew

    Marina Alex

    Jackie Barenborg

    Karlin Beck

    Frances Bondad

    Sara Brown

    Katie Burnett

    Anne-Lise Caudal

    Sandra Changkija

    Misun Cho

    Jean Chua

    Meredith Duncan

    Kathleen Ekey

    Austin Ernst

    Lisa Ferrero

    Meaghan Francella

    Nicole Hage

    Ginger Howard

    Moriya Jutanugarn

    Birdie Kim

    Christina Kim

    Therese Koelbaek

    Stephanie Kono

    Rebecca Lee-Bentham

    Amelia Lewis

    Tzu-Chi Lin

    Caroline Masson

    Megan McChrystal

    Stephanie Na

    Haru Nomura

    Angela Oh

    Brooke Pancake

    Melissa Reid

    Stephanie Sherlock

    Ashleigh Simon

    Kristie Smith

    Marissa Steen

    Jenny Suh

    Jaclyn Sweeny

    Hannah Yun

  • Talent Level was Marginal at LPGA Q School

    LPGA Qualifying School in Daytona Beach, FLLet’s face it, there were many players at the final stage of LPGA Q School in Daytona Beach this past week who should have saved the $2,500 it cost to play in the event and spent the money on more lessons. Several of the young women pros, as laudable as their ambition and determination might be, did not have a ghost of a chance to earn their LPGA cards for the 2012 season.

    When half the field was cut following the fourth round of the grueling 5-day event, the players who were eliminated had shot at least 12 over par over the first four days. Some players had shot 20-25-30-35 over par and even worse in four days. That is the equivalent of averaging 77 to 79 or higher for each of the four 18-hole rounds. Yes, the wind was fairly strong for some of the rounds, but it was no excuse for some of the ballooning scores, especially for women who believe they have the potential to play on the LPGA. Players will never make a living in pro golf averaging in the high 70’s in events.

    Any player can have a bad week, and there were some veteran players with past LPGA experience who did not make the cut and earn their way back onto the tour. However, most of those veterans have had very little success when they did earn their LPGA status in past years. That is why they found themselves back at Q School in the first place. There were also a large number of players with many years of experience on the LPGA Futures (now Symetra) Tour who did not make the cut. A lot of those players are now in their late 20’s and early 30’s. They are very good golfers, but their track record over several years in “the minors” would suggest that they will not improve their games to the level of LPGA players.

    Every year it seems that the women’s pro game is becoming younger and younger. Three of the players who finished in the top 20 at Q School and earned their full status LPGA cards were teenagers (Victoria Tanco-17, Hannah Yun-19, Rebecca Lee-Bentham-19), and don’t forget about 16 year old Lexi Thompson. She would have been at the final stage and was expected to be the medallist in the event, but she earned her way onto the tour next year with her victory in September in the Navistar LPGA Classic.

    The dream of making it to the LPGA is very powerful for most of the women who compete in Q School year after year. That is why many of them spend many years trying to improve their games so they can reach that goal. It is hard to give up on a dream that has been held so close for so long, but reality can be harsh. More aspiring LPGA players discovered that once again this year in Daytona Beach.

    Dave Andrews, Author of Pops and SunshineAbout the Author: Dave Andrews is a Harvard-educated former television news reporter. Dave is an avid golfer who has become a fan of the Duramed Futures Tour and is the author of Pops and Sunshine, a novel and screenplay about life on tour. His home course in New Hampshire is annually the site of one of the tour’s events.

  • 19 year old Hannah Yun prepares for rookie year on LPGA Tour

    LPGA Rookie Hannah YunI’ll always remember the first time I met Hannah Yun. It was in the summer of 2008 at a Duramed Futures Tour event in Bloomfield, Ct. On the patio outside the clubhouse at the course I happened to strike up a casual conversation with a man who turned out to be Hannah’s father. She was out on the putting green practicing.

    He told me his daughter was 16 years old and she was playing on the tour that summer as an amateur. She had just finished her freshman year at the University of Florida where she had been the team’s MVP as a 15 year old. Needless to say I found that very impressive. Imagine a 15 year old as the star player on a big college golf team.

    Out on the putting green she was working with Glen Kirk, the YES putter representative, who was giving her some advice on her putting stroke. I had known Glen for a couple of years and Glen told me Hannah was one of the most impressive young golfers he had ever seen. I said hi to Hannah and wished her well in the event. The next day I followed Hannah for a few holes and it took only a few minutes to realize she had a tremendous golf swing and was one of the most powerful ball strikers on the tour, despite her young age and 5’3″ frame.

    I saw Hannah and her parents again a couple months later at the final Futures Tour event of the season in Albany, New York. I was caddying for another player on the tour and only got to talk with them around the putting green. I told her father I would follow Hannah’s progress at the University of Florida and we exchanged contact info.

    As it turned out, Hannah’s father wrote a couple months later to tell me that Hannah decided to withdraw from the University of Florida that fall, early in her sophomore year. She had her sights set on a career on the LPGA and felt she was not progressing well enough in the school’s golf program. The following spring she began playing fulltime on the Futures Tour and I saw her several times that year. She always had power and a great technique but she was not scoring as well as planned. She finished the season in the top 50 on the money list with a stroke average of 73.4. Her best finish was a tie for 4th place. She finished the season at 50th on the tour’s money list. So, despite her talent there was still a long way to go before she could consider herself ready for the LPGA.

    The following season (2010) was similar. She improved her stroke average to 72.9 but had trouble putting three good rounds together in events. She tried a couple of different caddies and her father also caddied for her, but the results were always similar. Her best finish was 15th place and she ended the season at 63rd on the money list. She shot several rounds in the mid and high 60’s, but she allso shot many in the mid 70’s. In professional golf you are not going to go far by shooting 75’s and 76’s. Hannah tried several different coaches and instructors but the results did not seem to change very much.

    This year (2011) she continued to struggle and even left the tour in the summer to go back to training and practice and to work more on her game. She played in only 10 events, instead of the usual 15 or 16. She actually improved her stroke average to 72.6, but was not happy with the way she was progressing. She finished the season at 50th on the money list. Whenever I talked with Hannah or her father it was clear they were a little frustrated with the way things were going.

    Hannah Yun and Caddie Dave Andrews at LPGA Q School in Daytona Beach, FLIn September of this year, after a lot of work with her coaches, Hannah went to the second stage of LPGA Q School in Venice, Florida and had an impressive performance. She shot 5 under par for the event (68-71-71-73-283), finished in a tie for 8th place, and earned her way to the final stage of LPGA Q School in Daytona Beach, Florida. The event concluded this past Sunday. (Dec. 4th).

    The week before Q School, Hannah played in a Suncoast Tour event at the Q School site at the LPGA International complex. She shot a very impressive 9 under par score (69-69-69-207) in the three-day tune up event for Q School. All appeared to be coming into place nicely. I watched her play several holes in that event and walked the course with her father as we followed her in action. She and the other players were playing out of golf carts in that event, so her father was not caddying for her as he had been during the year on the Futures Tour.

    The first round of the big 5-day Q School tournament was played last Wednesday (Nov. 30th). I was following Hannah and several other players I know who were competing in the event. At the end of the day I was sitting in the coffee shop at the course when Hannah and her father walked in after finishing their round. Both were very dejected. Hannah had shot a 4 over par 76 and was not in good position after the first round. Hannah walked out of the coffee shop and her father sat down with me and told me that it was not working out well with him on Hannah’s bag. The father/daughter relationship on the golf course can often be a precarious situation.

    He then surprised me when he asked me if I would consider caddying for Hannah for the four final rounds of the event. I told him that I would be happy to help if that was what he and she really wanted (I am not a professional caddie, but I have caddied for several players and generally know how to do the fundamental things that are required). He was hoping that if I could just keep her relaxed and comfortable out on the course that she would play much better golf. He went outside and Hannah came in a few minutes later and asked if I would cary her bag. I told her it would be my pleasure.

    So, I caddied for Hannah the last four rounds. I did my best to keep her smiling and keep her clubs clean and my advice to myself. Apparently it all worked out. Hannah went on to shoot 74-71-72-71 and finished in a tie for 15th place in the tournament, earning her full status card on the LPGA tour for next year.

    I was thrilled for her and happy to have helped in a small way. Trust me, however, Hannah didn’t need my help. She is as good a player as most of the players currently on the LPGA tour. She is going to do very well in her rookie season on the tour, and at the young age of 19 has a brilliant career to look forward to. She is also one of the nicest, most humble and modest young women I have ever had the chance to meet.

    If you follow the LPGA, keep your eye on Hannah Yun in 2012. I think you will be seeing her name high up on the leaderboards in events and I hope you will be seeing a lot of her in action on Sundays when the LPGA events are on TV.

    Dave Andrews, Author of Pops and SunshineAbout the Author: Dave Andrews is a Harvard-educated former television news reporter. Dave is an avid golfer who has become a fan of the Duramed Futures Tour and is the author of Pops and Sunshine, a novel and screenplay about life on tour. His home course in New Hampshire is annually the site of one of the tour’s events.

  • Arizona Women’s Open Is Back This Fall

    Wigwam Resorts Red CourseAfter an eight-year absence, the Arizona Women’s Open will be up and running again this October. Sponsors are being rounded up and an attractive purse (details to come) is being put together for professional women golfers in a 54-hole event at Wigwam Resorts Red Course in Litchfield Park, just outside Phoenix. The three-day tournament will be held Tuesday, October 19th to Thursday, the 21st . The event will also be open to amateur players looking to test their games against top professionals.

    The event is being organized by the Cactus Tour, which has several years of experience conducting mini tour events in the Phoenix area for women pros on the LPGA, the Duramed Futures Tour, the Ladies European Tour and other pros gearing up for their upcoming seasons.

    One of the driving forces behind the Arizona Women’s Open is Mike Brown from Tucson. Mike is The Open’s V.P. of Tournament Development and an avid supporter of women’s golf around the country. “Arizona is home to some of the best women pros on the tours and there is no reason that our state should be without an Open of its own,” Brown said from his Tucson home. “The Arizona Women Open will be held during a ‘down’ period for the tours and many players will be in the state preparing for the LPGA and LET Q School finals in December and the Duramed Futures Tour Q School in November.” The event will be limited to 102 players. Several women pros that have appeared on the current and former “Big Break” series on Golf Channel will be competing in the tournament. Players interested in registering for the Arizona Women’s Open should go to its website: http://arizonawomensopen.net They can also find information at the Cactus Tour’s website: http://thecactustour.com For information about the course where the event will be played, here is a link to Wigwam Resorts golf site: http://www.wigwamresort.com/golf.html The Arizona Women’s Open will give professional women golfers another money-making opportunity at a time when professional tours have seen a decrease in the number of their events. Organizers have signed up several sponsors, but are looking for more to help make the Arizona Women’s Open one of the leading state Opens in the country. Interested companies can contact Mike Brown or Bruce Condon through the event’s website. Part of the proceeds from the Arizona Women’s Open will go to help support the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

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    Dave Andrews, Author of Pops and SunshineAbout the Author: Dave Andrews is a Harvard-educated former television news reporter. Dave is an avid golfer who has become a fan of the Duramed Futures Tour and is the author of Pops and Sunshine, a novel and screenplay about life on tour. His home course in New Hampshire is annually the site of one of the tour’s events.

  • PGA and LPGA Tour Q-School Preview

    The PGA TOUR's q-school can make you either want to doff your cap in celebration ... or pull it down in disappointment.
    The PGA TOUR's q-school can make you either want to doff your cap in celebration ... or pull it down in disappointment.

    This is my favorite time of year. No, it’s not because of the fall foliage or the first snowfall, but because it’s Q-School season! Every week on the PGA Tour, we watch millionaire superstars play for ridiculous sums of money. Then they fly away on their private jets and repeat. FedEx Cup? Boring. You want real drama, watch the PGA Tour and LPGA Tour Qualifying School Tournaments in December! Rather than playing for millions, the competitors at Q-School are playing for their careers. Some are former PGA and LPGA Stars, looking to return to form. Others are aspiring pros coming up the ranks from the mini tours and collegiate ranks, or driving ranges and pro shops. Many have nothing but a few bucks in their pockets, lots of desire and talent.

    As fans, we love a good story, and the best ones are of the cinderella boy coming from nowhere, or the unfortunate soul who missed a 3 footer on the last hole to miss getting his tour card by a stoke. At Q-School, the emotion is real. The tension and drama are on par with the world’s biggest tournaments. The elation or despair on the players’ faces tells the story every year. You don’t need to watch the leader board, just watch the players and you’ll know where they stand.
    This year at the Q-School finals for the PGA and LPGA Tours, we should have some more good stories to talk about. Here's a quick preview:

    • Amateur star Rickie Fowler, who finished tied for second last week and the Fry's.com open, will have a guaranteed spot in the finals, provided he stays in the top 150 in the money. If he can have another good week and break into the top 125, he'll be able to skip Q-School altogether. In just two PGA Tour starts he's earned almost enough money to secure his tour card for 2010. Not even Tiger Woods did it that fast.
    • David Duval is currently the bubble boy on the PGA Tour, sitting in the 125th spot on the money list as of this week's Viking Classic. Should he have a good week he has a good chance to regain his card for 2010. If not, we'll see him at the Q-School finals as the headliner for sure. Since David and I share the same name, I'll be pulling for him!
    • Among the players who failed to advance past the first stage were Gary Nicklaus, the 40-year-old son of Jack Nicklaus, and Sam Saunders, the grandson of Arnold Palmer. Tadd Fujikawa and Danny Lee, who won a European Tour event in February, also failed to get past stage one. Your humble editor played in a group behind Gary Nicklaus at the Florida State Amateur a few years back after he had regained his amateur status, and let me tell you, he can still hit it.
    • The feel good story of the first stage was Erik Compton's medalist finish to advance to stage two. Compton has been the recipient of two heart transplants. Just being able to play golf after a heart transplant is a miracle, but to be able to compete at this level after two of them is simply astounding.
    • As far as the ladies, several notable players advanced to the LPGA Q-School finals in Daytona. Amateur standouts Amanda Blumenherst and Maria Jose Uribe both advanced. Blumenherst was the 3-time NCAA Player of the Year at Duke and won the 2008 U.S. Women's Amateur. Uribe, from Colombia, was the 2007 U.S. Women's Amateur champion and while still an amateur had some great showings in pro events, including a top ten finish at the US Women's Open.
    • The LPGA Q-School also features several players from The Golf Channel's "Big Break" series. Caroline Larsson, Christina Lecuyer, Gerina Mendoza, Blair O'Neal, Elizabeth Stuart and Bri Vega will all try to earn playing privileges on the LPGA Tour in 2010.
    • Several LPGA Tour veterans are returning to Daytona to recover from lackluster seasons, including Erica Blasberg, Diana D'Alessio, Dorothy Delasin, Julieta Granada, Lorie Kane and Kris Tschetter. For a complete listing of the field at LPGA International in Daytona, click HERE.
    When the final field for the PGA Tour Q-School finals is posted, I'll update this post with the details. Until then, enjoy the best season of the year for golf, and be sure to subscribe to our RSS feed or email updates below!

  • Photo Gallery – 08 LPGA Tour Q-School Finals

    IMG0557

    I have lived in the Daytona Beach area since 1997, and as a resident here it’s hard not to become at least a little bit interested in NASCAR. Having been to many different kinds of auto races in my life, I can say that NASCAR isn’t really my thing, but I have fun with it anyway. Besides, Speedweek in February is a large part of what makes this town tick.

    Daytona Beach is also where the home office of the LPGA Tour is located. Indigo Lakes Golf Club used to be the home course of the LPGA, and it also hosted some pro events and PGA Tour Q-School. The LPGA then moved to a brand new office located at the newly built LPGA International Golf Club. The facility has 36 holes designed by Rees Jones and Arthur Hills, and played host to the LPGA’s Sprint Titleholder’s Championship for several years. Even though the facility was built largely to host this tournament and all the stars of the LPGA Tour including Annika Sorenstam played every year, attendance was poor and the tournament eventually failed. However, fans of women’s golf can still come to LPGA International every year for the LPGA Q-School finals and a Futures Tour event.

    Last year, the LPGA fielded a record number of media requests and handed out hundreds of credentials in anticipation of Michelle Wie attending the tournament in pursuit of her tour card. The great part of the week for the fans was the fact that attendance was free, and access to the players was unlike any other pro golf event. The fans could get very close to the players, with no gallery ropes on most holes and most pairings had only a hand full of spectators following. Wie, paired on the final day with eventual Q-School medalist Stacy Lewis, drew the biggest crowds, but it was still only in the 80 to 100 range.

    I was a bit surprized about being permitted to carry my camera around and snap pictures, but I tried to keep a low profile nevertheless. I was able to get some great shots on published them on my Facebook page. I recently stumbled upon these shots again while performing a backup and felt they would be worth sharing again, so enjoy! be sure to use the full screen function by hitting the button on the bottom right of the slideshow!

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